Escape to the Outerlands

Located on the city's foggy periphery near Ocean Beach, Outerlands is as much a gathering spot for sand-dusted surfers as it is a destination for Bay Area foodies. Owners David Muller and Lana Porcello—both visual artists, longtime Outer Sunset dwellers, and veteran food vendors at the Berkeley Farmers Market—opened the small corner restaurant in 2009, using weather-beaten wood planks as a design motif. "We salvaged materials over the course of a year," says Porcello. "We took down fences in exchange for keeping the wood and collected driftwood from local beaches. We also connected with friends who volunteered to craft details throughout the space." The warm wood interior is redolent with the yeasty aroma of baking bread and the presence of a large pot of earthy soup warming on the stove. The menu gets decidedly more epicurean at dinnertime—chef Brett Cooper uses whatever's fresh at the market to curate the delicacies du jour. Photography by Eric Wolfinger (except where noted). Above: The restaurant gets its name from its location on the outskirts of the city. Above: Pain au levain loaves proof atop the scrap-walnut countertop by Eric Roberts. Above: Woodworker Keith Aderholdt, who also helped design nearby Mollusk Surf Shop and Trouble Coffee Company, came up with the concept for the patchwork wood paneling. Above: Salt and pepper shakes are corralled together with silverware. Photograph by Janet Hall for Remodelista. Above: The seating is appropriately rustic. Above: The menu spotlights the local and the seasonal. Image via Flickr . Above: The chalkboard documenting the daily cocktail offerings (which feature housemade syrups and seasonal ingredients) is charmingly framed by uneven wood slats (L). Fresh-from-the-oven bread cools on a rack over the stove (R). Above: A row of Chemex coffeemakers. Photograph by Janet Hall for Remodelista.